hey y`all!
today i didnt do much until i had dance camp, and now i am SO sore. amy is working us like crazyy. but we're learning some pretty cool dances. contemporary is my favorite, like always. but my neck, my arms, and everything from my abs down, are SOOOOO sore. haha. i am in some serious pain. mk i am really sorry but i wont be at chruch tomorrow b/c of this dumb camp, i really want to go to church=(. but i'll see y`all friday :]
so my devotion was on how you can grow spiritually by praying. the bible says, in Romans 12:11-12, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep yoru spritual fevor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." the quality of our spiritual life is directly linked to the quality of our prayer life. the more we pray, the closer we feel to God. we need to turn everything over to God in prayer. so everyday we need to spend time in prayer, getting closer to God because its when we're close in our walk with God is when we can hear his voice most clearly. God's always here, and hes always listening, so...pray! dont try to handle your troubles on your own, give them over to someone who can help!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
dont fall for media hype!
hey y`all!
today was pretty good! i talked to mitch this morning & then i hung out with ashley all day, we went galavantin' around simpsonville & mauldin, and actually didnt get lost, that is a HUGE accomplishment for us. haha. & i then went to dance camp and danced my butt off for 3 hours straight. my toes are killing me. haha. but i do love to dance. we're doing like a latin dance for jazz, its so neat. and lyrical has like 50 million turns, i love turns. and then our hiphop is fast but its fun. today was def. better than yesterday. prayer does alot :]
so anyway, my devotion last night was about how we shouldnt fall for all the stuff the media says. the bible says in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the patern of this world, but be transfomed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will." the media tries to reagrrange our priorities. it tells us that our appearance & stuff like partying is whats important. but those are all lies. the most important things in our lives should be family, faith and future. we need to focus on Gods messages and what he has in store for us rather than what the world tells us to do. we need to compare the messages from the media to God's word and figure out ways we can protect ourselves from the media hype!
i love y`all!
God Bless
- crystal jade
today was pretty good! i talked to mitch this morning & then i hung out with ashley all day, we went galavantin' around simpsonville & mauldin, and actually didnt get lost, that is a HUGE accomplishment for us. haha. & i then went to dance camp and danced my butt off for 3 hours straight. my toes are killing me. haha. but i do love to dance. we're doing like a latin dance for jazz, its so neat. and lyrical has like 50 million turns, i love turns. and then our hiphop is fast but its fun. today was def. better than yesterday. prayer does alot :]
so anyway, my devotion last night was about how we shouldnt fall for all the stuff the media says. the bible says in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the patern of this world, but be transfomed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will." the media tries to reagrrange our priorities. it tells us that our appearance & stuff like partying is whats important. but those are all lies. the most important things in our lives should be family, faith and future. we need to focus on Gods messages and what he has in store for us rather than what the world tells us to do. we need to compare the messages from the media to God's word and figure out ways we can protect ourselves from the media hype!
i love y`all!
God Bless
- crystal jade
Sunday, July 29, 2007
today
hey y`all.
today has been difficult. for a couple different reasons. but i've turned it over to God and everything is going to be okay. great job everyone who perticipated in 5th sunday night sing. Pastor Chad- great sermon this morning. now i just want to say a few things about what happened today. we all found out that in 5 short months Pastor Chad, David, Barry, & Robbie are all leaving to start a new church. and most of us, are hurt. but i understand that God is leading them to do this and i think that their church will accomplish great things...im just sorry to see them go because even though i've only been at new hope for about 8 or so months, i've gotten really close to everyone. Pastor Chad is the best preacher i know of, and most of the youth feel like they can talk to David about anything. they've become more than just Pastors & Leaders to us, they've become really good friends. and they will be missed dearly at New Hope when they leave. but i will be praying for y`all and i know that God has great things set in store for y`all. we wish you only the best and we love you all dearly
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today has been difficult. for a couple different reasons. but i've turned it over to God and everything is going to be okay. great job everyone who perticipated in 5th sunday night sing. Pastor Chad- great sermon this morning. now i just want to say a few things about what happened today. we all found out that in 5 short months Pastor Chad, David, Barry, & Robbie are all leaving to start a new church. and most of us, are hurt. but i understand that God is leading them to do this and i think that their church will accomplish great things...im just sorry to see them go because even though i've only been at new hope for about 8 or so months, i've gotten really close to everyone. Pastor Chad is the best preacher i know of, and most of the youth feel like they can talk to David about anything. they've become more than just Pastors & Leaders to us, they've become really good friends. and they will be missed dearly at New Hope when they leave. but i will be praying for y`all and i know that God has great things set in store for y`all. we wish you only the best and we love you all dearly
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Saturday, July 28, 2007
dont give up!
hey y`all!
i did pretty much nothin today, okay i really did nothing today. was very boring. but we have church tomorrow :] and im excited about that! i cant wait to hear what pastor chads sermon is!
well my devotion last night was on not giving up on God or yourself. the bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." we really need to finish what we begin, and not give up at every first sign of trouble or whenever things get tough. doing things for God requires preperation, determination, and peserverance. Jesus didnt give up on us, so we shouldnt give up on him. Jesus was faithful to God even though he went through shame & suffering. my devotion book said a few really good things and so im gunna share them with you:
1. whatever your problem, God can handle it. your job is to keep preserving until He does.
2. God never gives up on you, so you dont ever give up on him.
3. if things dont work out at first, dont quit. if you never try, you'll never know how good you can be.
and i love that last one because it applies to absolutely everything in life. we can never give up on God and we cant give up on ourselves either because through God we can accomplish anything!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
i did pretty much nothin today, okay i really did nothing today. was very boring. but we have church tomorrow :] and im excited about that! i cant wait to hear what pastor chads sermon is!
well my devotion last night was on not giving up on God or yourself. the bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." we really need to finish what we begin, and not give up at every first sign of trouble or whenever things get tough. doing things for God requires preperation, determination, and peserverance. Jesus didnt give up on us, so we shouldnt give up on him. Jesus was faithful to God even though he went through shame & suffering. my devotion book said a few really good things and so im gunna share them with you:
1. whatever your problem, God can handle it. your job is to keep preserving until He does.
2. God never gives up on you, so you dont ever give up on him.
3. if things dont work out at first, dont quit. if you never try, you'll never know how good you can be.
and i love that last one because it applies to absolutely everything in life. we can never give up on God and we cant give up on ourselves either because through God we can accomplish anything!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Friday, July 27, 2007
God vs the world
hey y`all!
today was good. i didnt do much, just sat around, like usual. hopefully ill make plans for tomorrow haha but i havent yet. candace got a blog so i encourage y`all to check it out, theres this video she posted on it that really touched me.
my devotion last night was on not getting too attached to the world. lets see what the bible says, 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not im him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust opf his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-come snot from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." the world has pressures. good & bad. the ones that pressures us to follow God's will are good, but then there are worldy pressures that are not from God and we need to think about God when we feel these pressures and what he would want us to do. we need not to be conformed to this world because it is exactly the opposite of what God wants. we must conform ourselve sto Gods will, Gods path, and Gods Son. someone once said "he who dies with the most toys wins." but i dont agree. thats the worldy view. a Godly person once said, "he who dies with the most toys, still dies." and that is the true statement. who cares how many wordly possesions you have, not God. he cares about what you have spent your life doing for him and his glory.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was good. i didnt do much, just sat around, like usual. hopefully ill make plans for tomorrow haha but i havent yet. candace got a blog so i encourage y`all to check it out, theres this video she posted on it that really touched me.
my devotion last night was on not getting too attached to the world. lets see what the bible says, 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not im him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust opf his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-come snot from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." the world has pressures. good & bad. the ones that pressures us to follow God's will are good, but then there are worldy pressures that are not from God and we need to think about God when we feel these pressures and what he would want us to do. we need not to be conformed to this world because it is exactly the opposite of what God wants. we must conform ourselve sto Gods will, Gods path, and Gods Son. someone once said "he who dies with the most toys wins." but i dont agree. thats the worldy view. a Godly person once said, "he who dies with the most toys, still dies." and that is the true statement. who cares how many wordly possesions you have, not God. he cares about what you have spent your life doing for him and his glory.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Thursday, July 26, 2007
overcome pessimism
hey y`all!
today was good. usual day. didnt do much. went to nanas & ate food, haha. but thats about it. not real interesting. God has answered a lot of my prayers lately. its great. his voice is just amazing to hear :]]
mk so my devotion was on overcomming pessimisim. pessimisim is something a lot of people struggle with but think, as Christians, do we really have a reason to be pessimistic? lets see what the bible says, Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall" as Christians we have every reason to be optimistic because Jesus died for us and we have eternal life! we need to trust our hopes instead of our fears and know that God can get us through absolutely anything! Mrs. Charles E. Cowman says "Neveryeild to gloomy anticipation. Place your hope and confindence in God. He has no record of failure" and then my devotion book also said something else really good: "If you genuinely believe that God is good and that His Son died for your sins, how can you be pessimistic about your future? The answer, of course, is that you can't!" which is totally true. when we have so much waiting for us in heaven and God has such a plan for us here on earth, what is there to be pessimistic about?!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was good. usual day. didnt do much. went to nanas & ate food, haha. but thats about it. not real interesting. God has answered a lot of my prayers lately. its great. his voice is just amazing to hear :]]
mk so my devotion was on overcomming pessimisim. pessimisim is something a lot of people struggle with but think, as Christians, do we really have a reason to be pessimistic? lets see what the bible says, Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall" as Christians we have every reason to be optimistic because Jesus died for us and we have eternal life! we need to trust our hopes instead of our fears and know that God can get us through absolutely anything! Mrs. Charles E. Cowman says "Neveryeild to gloomy anticipation. Place your hope and confindence in God. He has no record of failure" and then my devotion book also said something else really good: "If you genuinely believe that God is good and that His Son died for your sins, how can you be pessimistic about your future? The answer, of course, is that you can't!" which is totally true. when we have so much waiting for us in heaven and God has such a plan for us here on earth, what is there to be pessimistic about?!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
miracles!
hey y`all today was GREAT!
i went to church and got to see my favorite people :] and play putput with all the guys, haha. but it was fun. i am seriously bad at putput. haha.
so my devotion, was on miracles! God does amazing things for people everyday. his miracles. what does the bible say? well, Hebrews 2:4 says, "God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and gives of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." God does miraculous things everyday, and to see them, all we have to do is look for them. we need not to be too preoccupied with other things to notice his great works. my devotion book said something that i really liked, "Instead of paying careful attention to God's handiwork, we become distracted. Instead of expecting God to work miracles, we become cynical. Instead of depending on God's awesome power, we seek to muddle along using our own power-with decidely mixed results" in other words, Gods power is alot better than ours, and things will turn out alot better if we let him take control. we need to pay attention to his miracles and excpect that he will preform miracles instead of becomming cynical about it. miracles are always a part of our life, we just need to take the time to notice them and trust in God's power. if your looking for miracles, you'll find them :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
i went to church and got to see my favorite people :] and play putput with all the guys, haha. but it was fun. i am seriously bad at putput. haha.
so my devotion, was on miracles! God does amazing things for people everyday. his miracles. what does the bible say? well, Hebrews 2:4 says, "God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and gives of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." God does miraculous things everyday, and to see them, all we have to do is look for them. we need not to be too preoccupied with other things to notice his great works. my devotion book said something that i really liked, "Instead of paying careful attention to God's handiwork, we become distracted. Instead of expecting God to work miracles, we become cynical. Instead of depending on God's awesome power, we seek to muddle along using our own power-with decidely mixed results" in other words, Gods power is alot better than ours, and things will turn out alot better if we let him take control. we need to pay attention to his miracles and excpect that he will preform miracles instead of becomming cynical about it. miracles are always a part of our life, we just need to take the time to notice them and trust in God's power. if your looking for miracles, you'll find them :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
date people who know God!
hey y`all!
today was good! i was out with ash & rach all day. we went swimming but then me & ash left and went & got sonic. haha i really love havin a sonic right here. and then we watched a movie- bridge to teribithea. it was pretty much depressing. haha. then i came home & i ate a chicken pot pie. haha.
mk so my devotion last night was on dating. it used this verse, Galatians 1:10, "Am i now tryig to win the approval of men, or of God? or am i trying to please men? if i were still trying to please men, i would not be a servant of Christ." so we should def try to please God in EVERYTHING we do. including the boys we chose to date. we should want to date people who also know God and who would not tempt to push our moral limits as Christians. we need to be patitent, prudent, and picky. verry picky to make sure we dont fall for the wrong guy or girl, we needent be concerned with what others think of the person we're dating, we need ot be concerned of what God would think of the person we're dating. God wants to give us his approval but he wont give us his approval until we ask him too :] God derserves first place in EVERYTHING in our lives. including our relationsips.
i love y`all
God Bless
- crystal jade
today was good! i was out with ash & rach all day. we went swimming but then me & ash left and went & got sonic. haha i really love havin a sonic right here. and then we watched a movie- bridge to teribithea. it was pretty much depressing. haha. then i came home & i ate a chicken pot pie. haha.
mk so my devotion last night was on dating. it used this verse, Galatians 1:10, "Am i now tryig to win the approval of men, or of God? or am i trying to please men? if i were still trying to please men, i would not be a servant of Christ." so we should def try to please God in EVERYTHING we do. including the boys we chose to date. we should want to date people who also know God and who would not tempt to push our moral limits as Christians. we need to be patitent, prudent, and picky. verry picky to make sure we dont fall for the wrong guy or girl, we needent be concerned with what others think of the person we're dating, we need ot be concerned of what God would think of the person we're dating. God wants to give us his approval but he wont give us his approval until we ask him too :] God derserves first place in EVERYTHING in our lives. including our relationsips.
i love y`all
God Bless
- crystal jade
Monday, July 23, 2007
give your attention to God!
hey y`all!
today was good. i hung out with ashley, & went & got new makeup. we've changed our song for the talent show, yet again. hopefully it wont change again. haha i've been reading all day, i feel like somewhat of a nerd. haha.
well anyway, my devotion last night was on giving your complete attention to God! the bible says in Matthew 4:10, "...For it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." we should let God rule our hearts, he needs to be first & foremost in our lives. we need to give him more than just a few hours of our time on Sunday. we need to spend time every day in his word and praising him and we need to go to him with every aspect of our lives. he needs to be in first place in our lives. my devotion book had something really good in it. John Elderedge said, "The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion; it is apathy" and i really believe it. you can be passionate about Godly things, but having no feeling at all is horrible. also my devotion book said "The world wants yout o pay attention to its distractions and temptations. God wants you to pay attention to His Son. Trust God." which is true. we should just trust God because he knows what is best for us. this reminds me of the lyrics of Voice of Truth because it says: "I will listen and believe the Voice of Truth." God is our voice of truth and we should follow what he says in everything that we do!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was good. i hung out with ashley, & went & got new makeup. we've changed our song for the talent show, yet again. hopefully it wont change again. haha i've been reading all day, i feel like somewhat of a nerd. haha.
well anyway, my devotion last night was on giving your complete attention to God! the bible says in Matthew 4:10, "...For it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." we should let God rule our hearts, he needs to be first & foremost in our lives. we need to give him more than just a few hours of our time on Sunday. we need to spend time every day in his word and praising him and we need to go to him with every aspect of our lives. he needs to be in first place in our lives. my devotion book had something really good in it. John Elderedge said, "The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion; it is apathy" and i really believe it. you can be passionate about Godly things, but having no feeling at all is horrible. also my devotion book said "The world wants yout o pay attention to its distractions and temptations. God wants you to pay attention to His Son. Trust God." which is true. we should just trust God because he knows what is best for us. this reminds me of the lyrics of Voice of Truth because it says: "I will listen and believe the Voice of Truth." God is our voice of truth and we should follow what he says in everything that we do!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Sunday, July 22, 2007
interesting
hey y`all!
today was great. sundays are always great. Pastor Chad preached a great sermon this morning & David preached a great sermon tonight & his sunday school lesson was really good too! i attempted to play baseball, but i gave up. haha. and then after church tonight i went out to eat with mitchell & megan & mrs rhonda & my brother, we had a great time! even though ricky & mitchell were spitting ice at eachother, those dorks.
so i want to talk about pastor chads sermon and davids sermon & sunday school lesson. first, Pastor Chad. he talked about our intrests. and heres his key points. we should be interested in what Jesus is interested in, now what is Jesus interested in??
1. Jesus is most concerned with getting to know him [getting saved.]
2. Jesus is concerned with people caring about others like he did.
if we do these two things, imagine how different the world would be. he also said, our top 3 worries/interests/the things we care most about, we just need to give them to Jesus because he will take care of them.
Now, David. this morning during sunday school the talked about the guitarist from Korn who came to christ. now i just think that is the most amazing story. look what Jesus can do. he can turn this guys life around, he can do anything. i really look up to this guy who gave everything over to Jesus. look how amazing Jesus is :] Davids sermon tonight was on witnessing. i think that might be the topic i wrote down for a sermon. it was really good and the thing that spoke most to me tonight was he told us sometimes our best witnessing tool isnt what we say, its how we act. and i agree completely. if others see how we live our lives, and how Jesus lifts us up and how we're a part of something bigger, and they'll want to be a part of it too. now, witnessing is a scary thing, because we never know how the person is going to react, but just remember, let God do the talking and dont worry what the person will think about you, is it really worth letting him go to hell because you were too afraid to share the word of God with him?? no. never.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was great. sundays are always great. Pastor Chad preached a great sermon this morning & David preached a great sermon tonight & his sunday school lesson was really good too! i attempted to play baseball, but i gave up. haha. and then after church tonight i went out to eat with mitchell & megan & mrs rhonda & my brother, we had a great time! even though ricky & mitchell were spitting ice at eachother, those dorks.
so i want to talk about pastor chads sermon and davids sermon & sunday school lesson. first, Pastor Chad. he talked about our intrests. and heres his key points. we should be interested in what Jesus is interested in, now what is Jesus interested in??
1. Jesus is most concerned with getting to know him [getting saved.]
2. Jesus is concerned with people caring about others like he did.
if we do these two things, imagine how different the world would be. he also said, our top 3 worries/interests/the things we care most about, we just need to give them to Jesus because he will take care of them.
Now, David. this morning during sunday school the talked about the guitarist from Korn who came to christ. now i just think that is the most amazing story. look what Jesus can do. he can turn this guys life around, he can do anything. i really look up to this guy who gave everything over to Jesus. look how amazing Jesus is :] Davids sermon tonight was on witnessing. i think that might be the topic i wrote down for a sermon. it was really good and the thing that spoke most to me tonight was he told us sometimes our best witnessing tool isnt what we say, its how we act. and i agree completely. if others see how we live our lives, and how Jesus lifts us up and how we're a part of something bigger, and they'll want to be a part of it too. now, witnessing is a scary thing, because we never know how the person is going to react, but just remember, let God do the talking and dont worry what the person will think about you, is it really worth letting him go to hell because you were too afraid to share the word of God with him?? no. never.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Saturday, July 21, 2007
serve Him.
hey y`all!
oh boy am i pooped. i've been up since 8 am friday morning. the lockin was a blast! it was so much fun! go-carts were the bomb. haha. and i am veryy bad at putput. the preacher Pastor Chad had speak was really good, i really really enjoyed his sermon, im sorry i didnt have my sermon book! and then david had a guy from clemson come speak, GO TIGERS!! anyway, today i mostly layed around haha
so my devotion was on serving God. as Christians we are supposed to live our lives like Jesus, and Jesus was a humble servant. what does the bible say? 1 Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fuly on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." we have to be willing to become a servant for Christ just like Christ became a servant. we have to be willing to pitch in to make the world a better place and to help others out. we do not need to keep all our blessings to ourselves, we need to use them to serve our Lord & Savior and show others that Christians are humble serving people. if we seek to have a walk with Jesus, we need to become an unselfish servant, just as he did. service may require sacrifice, but look what Jesus sacrificed for us. he sacrificed his life for us. he died for us.
i love y`all!
God Bless
- crystal jade
oh boy am i pooped. i've been up since 8 am friday morning. the lockin was a blast! it was so much fun! go-carts were the bomb. haha. and i am veryy bad at putput. the preacher Pastor Chad had speak was really good, i really really enjoyed his sermon, im sorry i didnt have my sermon book! and then david had a guy from clemson come speak, GO TIGERS!! anyway, today i mostly layed around haha
so my devotion was on serving God. as Christians we are supposed to live our lives like Jesus, and Jesus was a humble servant. what does the bible say? 1 Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fuly on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." we have to be willing to become a servant for Christ just like Christ became a servant. we have to be willing to pitch in to make the world a better place and to help others out. we do not need to keep all our blessings to ourselves, we need to use them to serve our Lord & Savior and show others that Christians are humble serving people. if we seek to have a walk with Jesus, we need to become an unselfish servant, just as he did. service may require sacrifice, but look what Jesus sacrificed for us. he sacrificed his life for us. he died for us.
i love y`all!
God Bless
- crystal jade
Thursday, July 19, 2007
dont hold grudges
hey y`all!
today was good. just the normal boring day where i didnt do much haha. i did help out my mom & mop the floor, but thats about the most productive thing i've done today. haha. im really excited about the lockin tomorrow! oh & i drove to get pizza. i did well, so hopefully when i go back on August 2 to take my drivers test again, this time i will pass. haha.
so, my devotion last night was a good one. it was on grudges and how they can put distance between you & God. what does the bible say? Proverbs 10:12, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." in other words, hatred causes trouble, but love forgives all wrongs. if we cannot forgive others, it creates a block between God and ourselves. if someone has wronged us in the past, we need to ask ourselves what Jesus would do, and the answer to that question is, that Jesus would forgive them and forget about it. when we are faced with this problem, we need to forgive as well, and forget about it as best we can. my devotion book said something interesting, "he who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass" and i agree with that. not being able to forgive others just causes us greif. its not harming the person we have a grudge against, it is only harming ourselves. my devotion book also said holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your brain. which is true. why would we let this person take hold of a place in our brain, its not healthy to dwell on things of the past, we just need to forgive others just like Jesus would have so we can keep our relationship with God strong with no roadblocks so we can hear him loud and clear when he needs to speak to us and so that we can see the amazing things he does in our lives and in others lives everyday!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was good. just the normal boring day where i didnt do much haha. i did help out my mom & mop the floor, but thats about the most productive thing i've done today. haha. im really excited about the lockin tomorrow! oh & i drove to get pizza. i did well, so hopefully when i go back on August 2 to take my drivers test again, this time i will pass. haha.
so, my devotion last night was a good one. it was on grudges and how they can put distance between you & God. what does the bible say? Proverbs 10:12, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." in other words, hatred causes trouble, but love forgives all wrongs. if we cannot forgive others, it creates a block between God and ourselves. if someone has wronged us in the past, we need to ask ourselves what Jesus would do, and the answer to that question is, that Jesus would forgive them and forget about it. when we are faced with this problem, we need to forgive as well, and forget about it as best we can. my devotion book said something interesting, "he who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass" and i agree with that. not being able to forgive others just causes us greif. its not harming the person we have a grudge against, it is only harming ourselves. my devotion book also said holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your brain. which is true. why would we let this person take hold of a place in our brain, its not healthy to dwell on things of the past, we just need to forgive others just like Jesus would have so we can keep our relationship with God strong with no roadblocks so we can hear him loud and clear when he needs to speak to us and so that we can see the amazing things he does in our lives and in others lives everyday!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
ask Him.
hey y`all!
today was great :] i got to hang out with ashley, yayy. and then church, which was great. except for mitchell hurt my finger with a tennis racket cover...but its okay, he didnt mean too. haha. im really excited about the lockin friday night, i think its gunna be really fun! i lovee go-carts :] haha.
so my devotion last night, i did it on asking God. we can ask God for anything because it will always be better than taking things into our own hands. and he will always answer us. the bible says, James 4:2, "You want something but dont get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God." if we want something, ask God for it. certainly nobody else is going to get it for us. but we must ask with the right intentions. but mostly we need to ask God to teach us about himself and for his guidance and his wisdom. we need to ask his guidance ALL the time, not just when we're in a crisis but for the little things too. everything will be better if we go about it the way God wants us to and the only want to figure that out is by asking him. we need to ask God for direction in the plan he has for our life, and for strength to accomplish it. Gods always there to answer our prayers, now it may not be exactly the way we want, but one thing I know and you should too, is that it WILL be what is best for us. also, it may not always be right when we want it, remember God doesnt work on our time, he works on his. so we must be patient.
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was great :] i got to hang out with ashley, yayy. and then church, which was great. except for mitchell hurt my finger with a tennis racket cover...but its okay, he didnt mean too. haha. im really excited about the lockin friday night, i think its gunna be really fun! i lovee go-carts :] haha.
so my devotion last night, i did it on asking God. we can ask God for anything because it will always be better than taking things into our own hands. and he will always answer us. the bible says, James 4:2, "You want something but dont get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God." if we want something, ask God for it. certainly nobody else is going to get it for us. but we must ask with the right intentions. but mostly we need to ask God to teach us about himself and for his guidance and his wisdom. we need to ask his guidance ALL the time, not just when we're in a crisis but for the little things too. everything will be better if we go about it the way God wants us to and the only want to figure that out is by asking him. we need to ask God for direction in the plan he has for our life, and for strength to accomplish it. Gods always there to answer our prayers, now it may not be exactly the way we want, but one thing I know and you should too, is that it WILL be what is best for us. also, it may not always be right when we want it, remember God doesnt work on our time, he works on his. so we must be patient.
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
fellowship!
hey y`all!
today i did pretty much nothing except me & chelsea went to get icecream & then decided we wanted sonic, so we left & went to the new sonic in simpsonville, it was pretty neat. its green!! & then we went and walked around target. haha but i do have to say, i miss ashley. haha. i gotta call that girl. anyway. i have this guy, ray, whos harassing me. calling me on my cell phone & just calling me names and leaving nasty voicemails and hes taking my picture and defacing it with satanic stuff and posting it on the web, its pretty pathetic, and everyone who knows me knows im a big Christian, so im not worried about the way people preceive me, hes just making himself look bad, but its still really starting to bother me. and i witnessed to him, and then blocked him because im really tired of the harassment, and i really dont know what to do about it, so if anyone has any advice i'd much appriciate it.
so onto my devotion last night. i did it on fellowship! as Christians it is very important that we surround ourselves with people who believe the same way we do. we need to build close relationships with Godly people. so that we have people that will encourage us to do Godly things and to obey God when he wants us to do something, and to obey his word. we should chose friends that honor God. well, lets see what the bible says, Romans 15:7 says, "Accept one another, then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" we need to stick together as Christians and show God praise. my devotion book said this: "Christians are not lone rangers. they are members of a spiritual family, and they need one another." which is really true. we have to stick together as one family as Christians and look out for eachother and help eachother grow in Christ :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today i did pretty much nothing except me & chelsea went to get icecream & then decided we wanted sonic, so we left & went to the new sonic in simpsonville, it was pretty neat. its green!! & then we went and walked around target. haha but i do have to say, i miss ashley. haha. i gotta call that girl. anyway. i have this guy, ray, whos harassing me. calling me on my cell phone & just calling me names and leaving nasty voicemails and hes taking my picture and defacing it with satanic stuff and posting it on the web, its pretty pathetic, and everyone who knows me knows im a big Christian, so im not worried about the way people preceive me, hes just making himself look bad, but its still really starting to bother me. and i witnessed to him, and then blocked him because im really tired of the harassment, and i really dont know what to do about it, so if anyone has any advice i'd much appriciate it.
so onto my devotion last night. i did it on fellowship! as Christians it is very important that we surround ourselves with people who believe the same way we do. we need to build close relationships with Godly people. so that we have people that will encourage us to do Godly things and to obey God when he wants us to do something, and to obey his word. we should chose friends that honor God. well, lets see what the bible says, Romans 15:7 says, "Accept one another, then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" we need to stick together as Christians and show God praise. my devotion book said this: "Christians are not lone rangers. they are members of a spiritual family, and they need one another." which is really true. we have to stick together as one family as Christians and look out for eachother and help eachother grow in Christ :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Monday, July 16, 2007
get involved in church!
hey y`all!
today i did...nothing. i sat at home and watched tv, got on the computer, made a smoothie, && danced a little bit. i wish we had church everyday. hopefully tomorrow i'll hang out with ashley or something so we can practice our song for the talent show. b/c we really need practice. haha
so anyway, my devotion last night was on getting involved in church! which was most def. the best thing i ever have done, was get involved at new hope. im there all the time and i just love spending time with the youth group, worshiping Jesus, learning about Him, and helping out at new hope! its great! so what does the bible say? 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's feild, God's building." we need to be active perticipants in church and not just sit there like bumps on logs! we need to get involved for Jesus, become a part of something bigger than ourselves. instead of going to church out of habit we need to go to church out of a desire to know and to worship God! Church is a great thing. its a place to get to know friends who share your faith, worship Jesus, learn about him, have a ton of fun, and be surrounded by good clean people and things. its just amazing. i am most happy, whenever im at church with the people i love learning about God :] my devotion book had this in it and i thought i'd share it with y`all: "make church a celebration, not an obligation: your attitude towards church is important, in part, because it is contagious" which i thought was neat. b/c its true if we show others we love chruch and how much fun it is, people around us will want to be a part of that too!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
-crystal jade
today i did...nothing. i sat at home and watched tv, got on the computer, made a smoothie, && danced a little bit. i wish we had church everyday. hopefully tomorrow i'll hang out with ashley or something so we can practice our song for the talent show. b/c we really need practice. haha
so anyway, my devotion last night was on getting involved in church! which was most def. the best thing i ever have done, was get involved at new hope. im there all the time and i just love spending time with the youth group, worshiping Jesus, learning about Him, and helping out at new hope! its great! so what does the bible say? 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's feild, God's building." we need to be active perticipants in church and not just sit there like bumps on logs! we need to get involved for Jesus, become a part of something bigger than ourselves. instead of going to church out of habit we need to go to church out of a desire to know and to worship God! Church is a great thing. its a place to get to know friends who share your faith, worship Jesus, learn about him, have a ton of fun, and be surrounded by good clean people and things. its just amazing. i am most happy, whenever im at church with the people i love learning about God :] my devotion book had this in it and i thought i'd share it with y`all: "make church a celebration, not an obligation: your attitude towards church is important, in part, because it is contagious" which i thought was neat. b/c its true if we show others we love chruch and how much fun it is, people around us will want to be a part of that too!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
-crystal jade
Sunday, July 15, 2007
me again :]
hey y`all!
great day at church :] eric- great sermon tonight! after morning service & sunday school i went to candaces & we walked in the rain. haha. willie & crystal did a great job singing tonight. and mitchell popped a balloon on me. i really dont like balloons. haha. that mitchell. haha. anyway, i want to talk about pastor chads sermon this morning :] first of all, he said something that really really stuck out at me. and i want to share it with y`all. when God closes a door, yeah we should go the other direction, but when something else closes a door, we need to bust the door open-just knock it down! and i really liked that. its so true. b/c theres gunna be obstacles when we're witnessing and doing the things God is calling us to do, but we just need to knock them over, not give up! so, pastor chad's key points:
when God is calling us to do something there will be:
1. spiritual prompting- when God's spirit tells us to do something. and if we pass it up, we're gunna really miss out!
2. spiritual uncertainty- were not always gunna know every detail, but we need to trust God that he will give us what we need, and tell us what we need to know.
3. spiritual resistance- thats where the door thing comes in. people will resist us, but we need to be persisitant
4. spritual clarity- if we're close in our walk with God, we'll understand exactly what hes asking us to do. Paul knew exactly what God put him here for.
well i thought it was a pretty great sermon :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
-crystal jade
great day at church :] eric- great sermon tonight! after morning service & sunday school i went to candaces & we walked in the rain. haha. willie & crystal did a great job singing tonight. and mitchell popped a balloon on me. i really dont like balloons. haha. that mitchell. haha. anyway, i want to talk about pastor chads sermon this morning :] first of all, he said something that really really stuck out at me. and i want to share it with y`all. when God closes a door, yeah we should go the other direction, but when something else closes a door, we need to bust the door open-just knock it down! and i really liked that. its so true. b/c theres gunna be obstacles when we're witnessing and doing the things God is calling us to do, but we just need to knock them over, not give up! so, pastor chad's key points:
when God is calling us to do something there will be:
1. spiritual prompting- when God's spirit tells us to do something. and if we pass it up, we're gunna really miss out!
2. spiritual uncertainty- were not always gunna know every detail, but we need to trust God that he will give us what we need, and tell us what we need to know.
3. spiritual resistance- thats where the door thing comes in. people will resist us, but we need to be persisitant
4. spritual clarity- if we're close in our walk with God, we'll understand exactly what hes asking us to do. Paul knew exactly what God put him here for.
well i thought it was a pretty great sermon :]
i love y`all!
God Bless!
-crystal jade
I Am.
hey y`all.
im gunna post twice today. later tonight i'll talk about pastor chads sermon and probably eric's sermon too. b/c i think eric is preaching tonight anyway. :] haha great sermon this morning pastor chad! and sunday school was good. we talked about Phillipians 4:8 which i think i've talked about more than once on my blog. but right now i want to talk about this song i love. crystal sang it last sunday, and its called I Am. and its by nichole nordeman. and i just LOVE the lyrics to this song:
pencil marks on a wall
i wasnt always this tall
you scattered some monsters from beneath my bed
you watched my team win
you watched my team lose
you watched when my bycicle went down again
and when i was weak
unable to speak
still i could call you by name
and i said
elbow healer, superhero
come if you can
and you said, I Am.
only sixteen
life is so mean
what kind of curfew is at 10 pm
you saw my mistakes
you watched my heart break
heard when i swore i'd never love again
and when i was weak
unable to speak
still i could call you by name
and i said
heartache healer, secret keeper
be my best friend
and you said, I Am.
you saw me wear white
by pale candlelight
i said forever to what lies ahead
two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream
to much it might seem when its 2 am
and when i am weak
unable to speak
still i will call you by name
shepard, savior, pasture maker
hold on to my hand
and you said, I Am.
the winds of change and cirucumstance
blowing all around us
so we find a foothold thats firmilar
and bless the moments that we feel you nearer
when life had begun
i was woven and spun
you let the angels dance around the throne
and who can say win
but they'll dance again
when i am free, and finally headed home
i will be weak
unable to speak
still i will call you by name
creator, maker, life sustainer
comforter, healer, my redeemer
lord and king, beginging and the end
I Am
yes, I Am.
i really love this song. it really affected me. because it says all what God is. when we were little, he was our superhero. and now hes my heart healer, my secret keeper and my best friend. hes there. no questions. he just says, "I Am." hes always here. hes our savior, healer, redeemer, creator, lord and king. hes amazing. and hes always there. when we have a scratched up elbow, or a broken heart, or whenever life seems to get too difficult, he is always there.
this song just speaks to me. i love it. so i thought i'd share it with y`all
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
im gunna post twice today. later tonight i'll talk about pastor chads sermon and probably eric's sermon too. b/c i think eric is preaching tonight anyway. :] haha great sermon this morning pastor chad! and sunday school was good. we talked about Phillipians 4:8 which i think i've talked about more than once on my blog. but right now i want to talk about this song i love. crystal sang it last sunday, and its called I Am. and its by nichole nordeman. and i just LOVE the lyrics to this song:
pencil marks on a wall
i wasnt always this tall
you scattered some monsters from beneath my bed
you watched my team win
you watched my team lose
you watched when my bycicle went down again
and when i was weak
unable to speak
still i could call you by name
and i said
elbow healer, superhero
come if you can
and you said, I Am.
only sixteen
life is so mean
what kind of curfew is at 10 pm
you saw my mistakes
you watched my heart break
heard when i swore i'd never love again
and when i was weak
unable to speak
still i could call you by name
and i said
heartache healer, secret keeper
be my best friend
and you said, I Am.
you saw me wear white
by pale candlelight
i said forever to what lies ahead
two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream
to much it might seem when its 2 am
and when i am weak
unable to speak
still i will call you by name
shepard, savior, pasture maker
hold on to my hand
and you said, I Am.
the winds of change and cirucumstance
blowing all around us
so we find a foothold thats firmilar
and bless the moments that we feel you nearer
when life had begun
i was woven and spun
you let the angels dance around the throne
and who can say win
but they'll dance again
when i am free, and finally headed home
i will be weak
unable to speak
still i will call you by name
creator, maker, life sustainer
comforter, healer, my redeemer
lord and king, beginging and the end
I Am
yes, I Am.
i really love this song. it really affected me. because it says all what God is. when we were little, he was our superhero. and now hes my heart healer, my secret keeper and my best friend. hes there. no questions. he just says, "I Am." hes always here. hes our savior, healer, redeemer, creator, lord and king. hes amazing. and hes always there. when we have a scratched up elbow, or a broken heart, or whenever life seems to get too difficult, he is always there.
this song just speaks to me. i love it. so i thought i'd share it with y`all
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Saturday, July 14, 2007
praise Him!!
hey y`all!
sorry i didnt write yesterday, i was out late with the youth group! we went to a greenville drive baseball game. the fireworks at the end were really pretty. but my legs were killing me b/c mitchell drug me all over tarnation but we didnt sit for more than 5 seconds, maybe twice. haha. thanks for takin us mr allen! today i got to hang out with chelsea! we went out to eat. i havent seen her in forever so it was cool. we so got the best dessert. triple chocolate meltdown at applebees. its amazing. haha. church tomorrow :] im excited to see what pastor chad is gunna preach on!
so anyway my devotion was on prasing God! hes pretty much really amazing. so what does the bible say about praise? well Psalm 138:1 says, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;" i love this verse. it says exactly what we should do. whenever we praise God, we should praise him with not half our heart, or almost all of our heart, but our whole heart. and we need to praise him at all times. not only on sundays, and not only in good situations. we need to praise him every day of the week, and even during trials. my devotion book had something Thomas Watson said in it, that really stuck out at me. he said, "Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. in prayer we act like men; in praise we act like angels." i really like that. so, heres the deal. we need to always praise God. hes so amazing. you can praise him in many ways. silently or loudly. i love to praise God by singing. but i also praise him in other things i do. we should be praising God in EVERYTHING we do. hes done so much for us. he is the only one that is worthy of praise!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
sorry i didnt write yesterday, i was out late with the youth group! we went to a greenville drive baseball game. the fireworks at the end were really pretty. but my legs were killing me b/c mitchell drug me all over tarnation but we didnt sit for more than 5 seconds, maybe twice. haha. thanks for takin us mr allen! today i got to hang out with chelsea! we went out to eat. i havent seen her in forever so it was cool. we so got the best dessert. triple chocolate meltdown at applebees. its amazing. haha. church tomorrow :] im excited to see what pastor chad is gunna preach on!
so anyway my devotion was on prasing God! hes pretty much really amazing. so what does the bible say about praise? well Psalm 138:1 says, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;" i love this verse. it says exactly what we should do. whenever we praise God, we should praise him with not half our heart, or almost all of our heart, but our whole heart. and we need to praise him at all times. not only on sundays, and not only in good situations. we need to praise him every day of the week, and even during trials. my devotion book had something Thomas Watson said in it, that really stuck out at me. he said, "Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. in prayer we act like men; in praise we act like angels." i really like that. so, heres the deal. we need to always praise God. hes so amazing. you can praise him in many ways. silently or loudly. i love to praise God by singing. but i also praise him in other things i do. we should be praising God in EVERYTHING we do. hes done so much for us. he is the only one that is worthy of praise!
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Thursday, July 12, 2007
praying is powerful!
hey y`all!
today was good. just the usual day. went shopping. went to my nanas. attempted to run with candace and listened to mitchell and jojo talk about dirtbikes which i didnt understand a bit of. landing zone tomorrow! im excited :] so my devotion last night, was on prayer. which is the most powerful tool we have as Christians. its a direct line of communication with God! so what does the bible say? well heres one verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." so, basically this verse tells us that we should always be praying. and its true. we should pray about everything no matter how big or small it is. because taking things into our own hands gets us nowhere, our way is NEVER going to be better for us than Jesus's way. i remember in one sermon Pastor Chad preached he made the point, if we are consumed by God, we will pray about everything, even little things. and thats how we should be. we need to pray to ask God to help us with our problems, we need to pray for friends & family, we need to pray for the lost, and we need to pray & tell God how absolutely amazing he is and thank him for sending his one and only Son to die for us. God will never ignore our prayers. he will always be there to hear them, and he will always answer them. now granted, he will answer them how & when he sees fit, God does not work on our time, he works on his time. but we have to realize that God's time is always better than our time. and God's way is always better than our way. because God only wants whats best for us, and who knows better what is best for us than who created us!!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was good. just the usual day. went shopping. went to my nanas. attempted to run with candace and listened to mitchell and jojo talk about dirtbikes which i didnt understand a bit of. landing zone tomorrow! im excited :] so my devotion last night, was on prayer. which is the most powerful tool we have as Christians. its a direct line of communication with God! so what does the bible say? well heres one verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." so, basically this verse tells us that we should always be praying. and its true. we should pray about everything no matter how big or small it is. because taking things into our own hands gets us nowhere, our way is NEVER going to be better for us than Jesus's way. i remember in one sermon Pastor Chad preached he made the point, if we are consumed by God, we will pray about everything, even little things. and thats how we should be. we need to pray to ask God to help us with our problems, we need to pray for friends & family, we need to pray for the lost, and we need to pray & tell God how absolutely amazing he is and thank him for sending his one and only Son to die for us. God will never ignore our prayers. he will always be there to hear them, and he will always answer them. now granted, he will answer them how & when he sees fit, God does not work on our time, he works on his time. but we have to realize that God's time is always better than our time. and God's way is always better than our way. because God only wants whats best for us, and who knows better what is best for us than who created us!!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
reach out to Him
hey y`all!
today was pretty good. for all of you that dont already know, yes i failed my driving test. but the lady was super mean. i am not a bad driver, i promise. church tonight was great! thank you Kim & Sunshine for sharing your testimonies with us. it meant a lot. mk so i thought i'd tell y`all this b/c i thought it was funny. my good friend weston made a joke, & well i didnt get it & this is what he said to me : "(9:33:27 PM): Crystal, people invented things call jokes awhile back, where you there when they made them?"
it was funny. i dont understand jokes very well, apparently. anyway, mr allens blog that he wrote today really made me think. are we being that church in the song by casting crowns? i am probably guilty of doing things just like that song says, and i am truly sorry. i am going to make a bigger effort when new people visit our youth group to make them feel welcome.
so my devotion last night, i did on reaching out to God. and the verse was a pretty firmilar verse, James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you..." and this tells us, if we try to get near to God, he'll help us. & he'll come near to us. If we try to find him, he wont hide, he'll help. so, how do we go about getting close to God? well theres many things you can do! you can pray, do bible studies, daily devotions, praise & worship, & fellowshipping with other Christians are just some of the many ways you can draw closer in your relationship with God. and a good point my devotion book made, God is always searching for us, we just have to open our hearts. which of course, reminded me of a song. its a veryy popular worship song. open the eyes of my heart. which im sure you know goes like this:
open the eyes of my heart Lord
open the eyes of my heart
i want to see You
i want to see You
which tells us something. we dont see God with the eyes in our heads, we see God with our hearts. we feel him in there, through the things he does through us, and the miracles he allows us to see. so God is always there, always searching for that relationship, we just have to open up our hearts and let him in :]
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was pretty good. for all of you that dont already know, yes i failed my driving test. but the lady was super mean. i am not a bad driver, i promise. church tonight was great! thank you Kim & Sunshine for sharing your testimonies with us. it meant a lot. mk so i thought i'd tell y`all this b/c i thought it was funny. my good friend weston made a joke, & well i didnt get it & this is what he said to me : "(9:33:27 PM): Crystal, people invented things call jokes awhile back, where you there when they made them?"
it was funny. i dont understand jokes very well, apparently. anyway, mr allens blog that he wrote today really made me think. are we being that church in the song by casting crowns? i am probably guilty of doing things just like that song says, and i am truly sorry. i am going to make a bigger effort when new people visit our youth group to make them feel welcome.
so my devotion last night, i did on reaching out to God. and the verse was a pretty firmilar verse, James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you..." and this tells us, if we try to get near to God, he'll help us. & he'll come near to us. If we try to find him, he wont hide, he'll help. so, how do we go about getting close to God? well theres many things you can do! you can pray, do bible studies, daily devotions, praise & worship, & fellowshipping with other Christians are just some of the many ways you can draw closer in your relationship with God. and a good point my devotion book made, God is always searching for us, we just have to open our hearts. which of course, reminded me of a song. its a veryy popular worship song. open the eyes of my heart. which im sure you know goes like this:
open the eyes of my heart Lord
open the eyes of my heart
i want to see You
i want to see You
which tells us something. we dont see God with the eyes in our heads, we see God with our hearts. we feel him in there, through the things he does through us, and the miracles he allows us to see. so God is always there, always searching for that relationship, we just have to open up our hearts and let him in :]
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior
hey y`all!
today was fun. ashley came over & we hung out & made mac & cheese & then made this really good smoothie that we just stuck a bunch of different stuff in the blender & put whipped cream on it, but it turned out really yummy. haha. we're chefs! yeahh..not really. haha. so church tomorrow. which reminds me i have to do my stuff for kims class. haha. i am really likin this new devotion book! thanks mr allen. so my devotion last night, was on Jesus! the verse was John 8:12, which says, "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life'" which amazingly, reminds me of a song. haha. im going to try to tie all of my devotions to Christian songs. but first of all lets talk about this verse, Jesus is our light. and he should be our first priority. our faith should not take a backseat to anything. the most important part of the Christian faith, what makes us Christians, is getting to know Gods son, Jesus. he is most def. the light of the world and getting to know him can be absolutely amazing. if we give him the chance, he will show us amazing things. so about the song this reminds me of. we sing it a lot. its called marvelous light. and the verse reminds me of the chorus of the song:
into marvelous light im running
out of darnkess out of shame
by the cross
You are the truth
You are the life
You are the way.
so when we give our lives over to Jesus, we walk out of darkness and into His new light! and i think its pretty amazing to be born again, in Jesus's light. and he is our truth, life, and our way. our only way. so, i leave you with this question. Jesus paid the biggest price for us. what price will we pay for him?
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was fun. ashley came over & we hung out & made mac & cheese & then made this really good smoothie that we just stuck a bunch of different stuff in the blender & put whipped cream on it, but it turned out really yummy. haha. we're chefs! yeahh..not really. haha. so church tomorrow. which reminds me i have to do my stuff for kims class. haha. i am really likin this new devotion book! thanks mr allen. so my devotion last night, was on Jesus! the verse was John 8:12, which says, "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life'" which amazingly, reminds me of a song. haha. im going to try to tie all of my devotions to Christian songs. but first of all lets talk about this verse, Jesus is our light. and he should be our first priority. our faith should not take a backseat to anything. the most important part of the Christian faith, what makes us Christians, is getting to know Gods son, Jesus. he is most def. the light of the world and getting to know him can be absolutely amazing. if we give him the chance, he will show us amazing things. so about the song this reminds me of. we sing it a lot. its called marvelous light. and the verse reminds me of the chorus of the song:
into marvelous light im running
out of darnkess out of shame
by the cross
You are the truth
You are the life
You are the way.
so when we give our lives over to Jesus, we walk out of darkness and into His new light! and i think its pretty amazing to be born again, in Jesus's light. and he is our truth, life, and our way. our only way. so, i leave you with this question. Jesus paid the biggest price for us. what price will we pay for him?
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Monday, July 9, 2007
He's right here
hey y`all!!
today was great! ashley & i went & got our cd for the talent thing & we also went bible shopping & i got the cutest new bible, im excited about it. haha. so i finally got a new devotion book, thanks mr allen! && my devotion ties into a song, which is really rather neat since i've been doing that song thing lately. the verse my devotion was on was 2 Chronicles 15:2 which says, "...The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." which tells us, God is with us, when we are with him. so in other words, hes always here, we just have to seek him. God never goes anywhere. the devotion book said this, and i really really liked it, "If God is everywhere, why does He sometimes seem so distant? Thats a question that has less to do with God and more to do with us. When God seems far away its because we have allowed ourselves to become distant from Him, not the other way around." and the title in the devotion book said "Hes right here, right now." which he really is. and that made me think of a song by Jeremy Camp which says:
All the world is watching
All the world does care
Even when the world weighs on my shoulder now,
These feelings I can bare
Because I know,
That you're here,
Everywhere I go,
I know you're not far away,
You're right here
You're right here, yeah (x2)
All these thoughts I've wasted,
All these thoughts I fear,
Even when these thoughts have faded,
I still know that you're here,
So I can rest my hope in You
Many of times that I have felt alone,
Many of times that I have felt the world was crashing down upon me,
You always stood here by my side,
You were always there.
Everywhere I go,
I know you're not far away,
You're right here
You're right here, yeah (x4)
so, no matter where we go, God is always here. even when we feel like he isnt. its not because God went somewhere, its because we have strayed from God. so remember next time you feel like your alone, God is right there. all you have to do is seek him.
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was great! ashley & i went & got our cd for the talent thing & we also went bible shopping & i got the cutest new bible, im excited about it. haha. so i finally got a new devotion book, thanks mr allen! && my devotion ties into a song, which is really rather neat since i've been doing that song thing lately. the verse my devotion was on was 2 Chronicles 15:2 which says, "...The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." which tells us, God is with us, when we are with him. so in other words, hes always here, we just have to seek him. God never goes anywhere. the devotion book said this, and i really really liked it, "If God is everywhere, why does He sometimes seem so distant? Thats a question that has less to do with God and more to do with us. When God seems far away its because we have allowed ourselves to become distant from Him, not the other way around." and the title in the devotion book said "Hes right here, right now." which he really is. and that made me think of a song by Jeremy Camp which says:
All the world is watching
All the world does care
Even when the world weighs on my shoulder now,
These feelings I can bare
Because I know,
That you're here,
Everywhere I go,
I know you're not far away,
You're right here
You're right here, yeah (x2)
All these thoughts I've wasted,
All these thoughts I fear,
Even when these thoughts have faded,
I still know that you're here,
So I can rest my hope in You
Many of times that I have felt alone,
Many of times that I have felt the world was crashing down upon me,
You always stood here by my side,
You were always there.
Everywhere I go,
I know you're not far away,
You're right here
You're right here, yeah (x4)
so, no matter where we go, God is always here. even when we feel like he isnt. its not because God went somewhere, its because we have strayed from God. so remember next time you feel like your alone, God is right there. all you have to do is seek him.
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Sunday, July 8, 2007
my friends :]
hey y`all!
today was great! i went to church & then i hung out with ashley & then went back to church! and tomorrow im hanging out with ashley, haha. i spend all my time with her. and thats what i want to talk about today, is friends, Barry preached on friends tonight and his sermon was great! first off i want to talk about the friends God has given me. i am truly blessed when it comes to my friends. Proverbs tells us that friends love us at all times, are as close as family, and we can get past any problems we have. God has given me 2 people that are absolutely my best friends, Ashley Runyan and Mitchell Gilbert. and i just thank him everyday for those two. they are there for me through everything. and then, God has also given me a third best friend. the best of the best, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. he will never let me down, he the epitome of the best friend, hes everything we look for in a best friend- trust, someone to confide in, forgiveness, and he has our back, plus more. we can rely on Jesus to get us through anything. John 15:13 tells us that nobody has greater love than Jesus because he gave his life for us. Jesus went willingly to the cross, and died for us. now if that isnt a best friend, i dont know what is. Barry made the point, if you had a friend that you knew would give their life for you, would you feel comforted? of course. so he told us, we can feel comforted, because Jesus gave his life for us. and another good point Barry made, Jesus is all of these things we look for in a friend to us, but are we these things to him? do we give him time, trust, and our loyalty? we should. because friendship is a two-way thing. so, thank you Jesus for dying for me. & thank you God for giving me the three best friends i have in this world. :]
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
today was great! i went to church & then i hung out with ashley & then went back to church! and tomorrow im hanging out with ashley, haha. i spend all my time with her. and thats what i want to talk about today, is friends, Barry preached on friends tonight and his sermon was great! first off i want to talk about the friends God has given me. i am truly blessed when it comes to my friends. Proverbs tells us that friends love us at all times, are as close as family, and we can get past any problems we have. God has given me 2 people that are absolutely my best friends, Ashley Runyan and Mitchell Gilbert. and i just thank him everyday for those two. they are there for me through everything. and then, God has also given me a third best friend. the best of the best, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. he will never let me down, he the epitome of the best friend, hes everything we look for in a best friend- trust, someone to confide in, forgiveness, and he has our back, plus more. we can rely on Jesus to get us through anything. John 15:13 tells us that nobody has greater love than Jesus because he gave his life for us. Jesus went willingly to the cross, and died for us. now if that isnt a best friend, i dont know what is. Barry made the point, if you had a friend that you knew would give their life for you, would you feel comforted? of course. so he told us, we can feel comforted, because Jesus gave his life for us. and another good point Barry made, Jesus is all of these things we look for in a friend to us, but are we these things to him? do we give him time, trust, and our loyalty? we should. because friendship is a two-way thing. so, thank you Jesus for dying for me. & thank you God for giving me the three best friends i have in this world. :]
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Saturday, July 7, 2007
its been awhile...
hey y`all!
first off, i want to say i am terribly sorry for all of you who check my blog everynight. i know i havent written lately and its because my cousins are in from germany and i've been with them until about 11-12 at night every night since wednesday and i've been extremely tired. so this week has been really great. wednesday my family from germany came in, & they're great! i get along very well with both linda & tim. thursday we went to the mall & hung out, it was really fun. plus i finished drivers ed that day, so i can get my liscense next week hopefully :] pray for me about that please! at landing zone friday we played this game with water. well i didnt want to get wet, but mitchell decided it'd be fun to dump a 5 gallon bucket of water on me. needless to say, i was absolutely soaked. and today, i wasnt any drier. haha. we went to sliding rock [thanks for takin us mr allen!] and it was a blast. david & mitchell decided it'd be fun to sandwitch me inbetween them when i was dry & i ended up soaking wet & then mitchell drug me up that dang rock and made me go down it. talk about shock of my life when i hit that cold water. but it was a blast.
so anyway, devotion. this song. "If We are the Body" by Casting Crowns.
heres the lyrics:
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know Farther than they know
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing
them there is a way
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
great song. amazing lyrics. and they come from 1 Corithians 12:12-31. which talks about how we are the body of Christ, and how nobody is complete without each and every part because they all play a special role. which tells us we've all got a special roll to spread the word of Christ as Christians. and we just have to do what we feel lead to do.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
first off, i want to say i am terribly sorry for all of you who check my blog everynight. i know i havent written lately and its because my cousins are in from germany and i've been with them until about 11-12 at night every night since wednesday and i've been extremely tired. so this week has been really great. wednesday my family from germany came in, & they're great! i get along very well with both linda & tim. thursday we went to the mall & hung out, it was really fun. plus i finished drivers ed that day, so i can get my liscense next week hopefully :] pray for me about that please! at landing zone friday we played this game with water. well i didnt want to get wet, but mitchell decided it'd be fun to dump a 5 gallon bucket of water on me. needless to say, i was absolutely soaked. and today, i wasnt any drier. haha. we went to sliding rock [thanks for takin us mr allen!] and it was a blast. david & mitchell decided it'd be fun to sandwitch me inbetween them when i was dry & i ended up soaking wet & then mitchell drug me up that dang rock and made me go down it. talk about shock of my life when i hit that cold water. but it was a blast.
so anyway, devotion. this song. "If We are the Body" by Casting Crowns.
heres the lyrics:
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know Farther than they know
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing
them there is a way
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
great song. amazing lyrics. and they come from 1 Corithians 12:12-31. which talks about how we are the body of Christ, and how nobody is complete without each and every part because they all play a special role. which tells us we've all got a special roll to spread the word of Christ as Christians. and we just have to do what we feel lead to do.
i love y`all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
pooped!
hey y`all
omgosh today was a long day just b/c i went to bed really late and had to get up at like 6 am for drivers ed! but i did a good job driving so its all good. haha. i think i can pass my drivers test despite what mitchell says. he has no faith in me. haha. even though hes never rode in a car while im driving. so anyway im struggling a little with my devotions on what to read b/c i finished my devotion book so i've got to go get a new one. so today i want to talk about this song that ashley & i are gunna sing together! its called "its You" and its by this really great Christian band called Fireflight. i love the lyrics.
heres the lyrics:
i wish that i could break all the mirros in my mind
the ones that lie to me and steal away my pride
i wish i could be blind to everything that haunts me
if i use my heart i can see your face
You show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
this world is always trying to take a peice of me
but You are always there to make me feel complete
if i can keep my eyes on what You have for me
i will face the truth and never look away
You'll show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
when i have no where else to go
and i cant find my way out
Your light it comes to guide me
i cant hide
You show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
i LOVE this song. the lyrics are amazing. but it says alot. we should always run to God when we have a problem. and he will show us who we really are. he is the light in our darkness and we cant hide our real selves from him. it also talks about how the world is trying to corrupt us but with Gods help we can keep from doing worldly things that wouldnt be something a Christian should do. and we need to keep our eyes on Jesus's plan for us.
this songs lyrics reallyy speak to me
i love y`all!
God Bless!!
- crystal jade
omgosh today was a long day just b/c i went to bed really late and had to get up at like 6 am for drivers ed! but i did a good job driving so its all good. haha. i think i can pass my drivers test despite what mitchell says. he has no faith in me. haha. even though hes never rode in a car while im driving. so anyway im struggling a little with my devotions on what to read b/c i finished my devotion book so i've got to go get a new one. so today i want to talk about this song that ashley & i are gunna sing together! its called "its You" and its by this really great Christian band called Fireflight. i love the lyrics.
heres the lyrics:
i wish that i could break all the mirros in my mind
the ones that lie to me and steal away my pride
i wish i could be blind to everything that haunts me
if i use my heart i can see your face
You show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
this world is always trying to take a peice of me
but You are always there to make me feel complete
if i can keep my eyes on what You have for me
i will face the truth and never look away
You'll show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
when i have no where else to go
and i cant find my way out
Your light it comes to guide me
i cant hide
You show me the real me
its You that i search for
it is You i cant live without
Your hope is what i long for
when nothings left in me
its You
i LOVE this song. the lyrics are amazing. but it says alot. we should always run to God when we have a problem. and he will show us who we really are. he is the light in our darkness and we cant hide our real selves from him. it also talks about how the world is trying to corrupt us but with Gods help we can keep from doing worldly things that wouldnt be something a Christian should do. and we need to keep our eyes on Jesus's plan for us.
this songs lyrics reallyy speak to me
i love y`all!
God Bless!!
- crystal jade
Monday, July 2, 2007
let down part two
hey y`all!
sorry i didnt get a chance to post yesterday, i was at ashleys all night. yesterday was great! and i'd like to thank the baldwins for having us over for ACTS :] the food was great! davids sermon was really good, and after church we went camping in ashleys back yard. haha. that wasnt soo great b/c it was wet & hott & then it was wet & cold...haha. no more camping for me. so anyway i want to tell y`all about Pastor Chad's sermon on let down week two. he preached on when God lets us down. which we all know, God never actually lets us down, but sometimes we feel like he does. and we really shouldnt, b/c Jesus Christ is the only person on this earth who never really will let us down. Pastor Chad told us that life isnt always going to be perfect, but that certainly isnt Gods fault. Job teaches us about things we need to learn about God and what to do in bad situations. probably the most important thing Pastor Chad said yesterday was that Gods purpose is for his glory, not ours. We were put on this earth for Gods glory, not our own. && everything we do in life should be for God, and not for us. Job said he'd trust God even if he killed him, and as Christians we all need to have that same trust in God. which brings me to the other really important thing Pastor Chad said which was that Gods plan is to help us, and he will NEVER hurt us. so we really need to live our lives sold out to Jesus Christ! because he really is amazing && we can do everything through him!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
sorry i didnt get a chance to post yesterday, i was at ashleys all night. yesterday was great! and i'd like to thank the baldwins for having us over for ACTS :] the food was great! davids sermon was really good, and after church we went camping in ashleys back yard. haha. that wasnt soo great b/c it was wet & hott & then it was wet & cold...haha. no more camping for me. so anyway i want to tell y`all about Pastor Chad's sermon on let down week two. he preached on when God lets us down. which we all know, God never actually lets us down, but sometimes we feel like he does. and we really shouldnt, b/c Jesus Christ is the only person on this earth who never really will let us down. Pastor Chad told us that life isnt always going to be perfect, but that certainly isnt Gods fault. Job teaches us about things we need to learn about God and what to do in bad situations. probably the most important thing Pastor Chad said yesterday was that Gods purpose is for his glory, not ours. We were put on this earth for Gods glory, not our own. && everything we do in life should be for God, and not for us. Job said he'd trust God even if he killed him, and as Christians we all need to have that same trust in God. which brings me to the other really important thing Pastor Chad said which was that Gods plan is to help us, and he will NEVER hurt us. so we really need to live our lives sold out to Jesus Christ! because he really is amazing && we can do everything through him!
i love y`all
God Bless!
- crystal jade
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